It’s almost that time of year again. That wonderful time where every Sunday, you and your friends gather around to watch/scream at the TV depending on the performance of various NFL players who have no idea they are on your fantasy team. No matter what’s going on at school or work, in your love life, or whether or not the cops found that dead body you buried by the lake (don’t worry I won’t tell anyone), nothing can affect your mood quite as quickly as Fantasy Football.

I’ve been playing Fantasy since I was in 4th grade, or over 11 years for those of you scoring at home. Nowadays, some people opt for daily fantasy football through sites like DraftKings (free ad plug you guys are welcome). These are the same people that won’t have a few beers during the Thursday night game because they “have class tomorrow.” REAL Fantasy Football players draft their team before the season, tirelessly scour the waiver wire, and don’t call their friends during the season for any reason other than proposing a trade. If you want to win your league like I did last year (humble brag), you need to follow these pieces of advice:

Don’t Worry About Drafting Running Backs, You Can Always Trade For One Later

If you look at a lot of these “expert” mock drafts, you’ll notice a bunch of running backs taken in the first round. Guys like David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, and Ezekiel Elliott are consensus Top-5 picks on sites like ESPN. These experts are FAKE NEWS. Running backs are a huge waste of a first-round pick. You need to target kickers early. Remember, every kicker can run with a football in their hands, but no running back can kick a 50-yard field goal. Besides, most running backs come with off-the-field issues. Just last week, Elliott got into a bar fight that could leave him suspended. When was the last time you saw Patriots kicker Stephen Gostowski in the news for something like that? Or heard of any Patriots player acting violently for that matter?

RIP in peace, Aaron

Your Quarterback Needs to Be a Social Activist

When picking your fantasy quarterback, you’re gonna want to pay less attention to what he did on the field and more attention to what he did off of it. Sure, Aaron Rodgers was technically the highest-scoring QB in fantasy last year, but that only tells part of the story. His brother, Jordan, won The Bachelorette just last year, getting engaged to the beautiful Joelle Fletcher.

Congrats on the sex, guys

Now you may be wondering, what does this have to do with Aaron Rodgers? Well, Bachelor in Paradise, a Bachelorette spin-off, just had a sexual assault accusation scandal. We all know how seriously Commissioner Goodell takes sexual assault allegations, and Aaron’s lucky there was no weed involved here. There hasn’t been and never will be a potential sex abuser holding the Lombardi, that much we can be sure of.

American class-act Ben Roethlisberger

Dilemmas like Rodgers’ are why you want to pick a high-character guy like Colin Kaepernick as your quarterback. Kaepernick heroically took a knee during the National Anthem last season to protest that players had to stand for the entire anthem when they had a long game ahead of them. This kind of guy is who you want as the face of your fantasy franchise, and will get you tons of points in the “character” department (most leagues have added this to their scoring.) Don’t be scared off by his pedestrian stats or the fact that no NFL teams have signed him yet, if Kaepernick isn’t the first quarterback off the board in your league, your friends are probably more concerned with rolling doobies than they are winning fantasy football games.

No Draft Pick isn’t Worth a 30 of Natty Light

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t it counter-productive to trade my first-round pick for beer when I can just buy some myself? No, no it is not. Here’s why. Beer fuels decision making. Every great NFL coach has been an alcoholic. Vince Lombardi owned five pubs in the Green Bay area. Bill Parcells was the first person to ever shotgun a beer. And do you really think Bill Belichick isn’t drunk off his ass every game he coaches?

Faded.. drank

So those 30 beers may cost you a shot at Odell Beckham jr., but who knows what kind of genius decisions they will allow you to make?

BYE Weeks Are a Myth

You might also see a lot of these fantasy “experts” say not to draft too many guys at the same position with the same BYE week. Well, I got news for ya. BYE weeks aren’t real, they’re a bunch of liberal bullshit. You mean to tell me these guys are getting paid millions of dollars, to NOT play football? Nice try, Hillary, but I’m not buying this for one second. If you take Antonio Brown out of your lineup just because it’s the Steelers’ “bye week,” you’re as big of a sucker as anyone who’s ever bought an Android phone.

Focus on Having FUN!

As much as everything I’ve said up to this point matters, the real key to winning your fantasy league is to just have fun with it. Doesn’t it seem like successful NFL players like Tom Brady are always having fun? Well that’s why they win. They don’t want to have to make millions of dollars and sleep with the most beautiful girls on Earth, but that’s what it takes to bring them the joy necessary to win football games. These guys will sacrifice ANYTHING for the team, even if it means buying another million-dollar home on Nantucket. Focus on having fun, and you, too will be buying Nantucket homes with your fantasy football winnings.

*I am not legally liable for your performance in any fantasy football leagues*

New York City baseball is returning to its norm. The Yankees are making a playoff push and the Mets, well the Mets have come out screaming and shouting about this season being THE season. Of course, as the trade deadline approaches both the Mets and Yanks are in positions to make moves. The Mets as sellers, and the Yankees as buyers.

However, both of these franchises do not fit the stereotype that come along with the “buyer” or “seller” title. The Yankees sit with an absolutely LOADED farm system. But like any team with a gold mine in their minor league system, deciding to go all in and deal prospects is a hard and risky. The Mets on the other hand don’t want to admit that they are rebuilding. Selling off players who reached a World Series leaves a sour taste with the fans who want to believe the core pieces that got them to the 2015 Series will get them there again.

But I have an idea. An idea my non-Yankee-or-Met-fan-mind believes would put both teams in the right direction. Although I really don’t think this deal would ever occur, I am here to offer it. And I want feedback. If you hate it, rip me apart. If you love it, sign me to be your fantasy baseball team’s new GM. Either way, tell me what you think.

So here it is, picture it being tweeted by Buster Onley or Kenny Rosenthal. Picture it popping up on your screen from the ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Fox Sports News apps all at the same time.

Now shut up and let that settle. Hear me out on why I think these are the pieces that would complete a fair trade which directs both ball clubs to the proper track.

Yanks, you’re adding exactly what you need. A guy with ace-quality stuff who has proven that he can not only pitch successfully in New York, but he can pitch successfully in the playoffs. deGrom is 3-1 in the postseason with a 2.88 ERA and 29 K. He could be the leader of a staff that is currently lead by a young rising star, which is okay… but risky. Take some of the load off of Sevvy, and make a playoff rotation of deGrom, Severino, Sabathia, and Tanaka. That sounds a lot better than hearing the name Montgomery come from Joe Buck’s mouth come October. Plus, you have some control of deGrom. He doesn’t reach unrestricted free agency until 2021, and currently makes just over $4 mill. deGrom becoming the centerpiece of the rotation for 3 seasons means that is one less purchase the post-George ownership doesn’t have to make. When 2021 rolls around you wipe your hands clean being that deGrom will be going on his age 33 season. The timing is perfect. PLUS (most importantly, you and I both know you would rather have deGrom than Sonny Gray). Duda, on the other hand, is strictly a rental. Everyone is hyping up how amazing of a hitter he could be in Yankee Stadium. Why not take a low risk and find out. He may catch lighting in a bottle. Plus, it means you won’t have Garret Cooper and Chase Headley forced down your throats any longer.

Now for what you are giving up. Starlin is a loss, but saying he’s irreplaceable is an overstatement. Didi has the middle infield hatched down and has turned into a great player. Also 3 of the Yankees top 10 prospects are guys who could play second or short. What I’m saying is Starlin wasn’t in your long term plan anyway, and your offense is explosive enough to make a playoff push without him. Mateo and Adams are the 2 pieces of this deal you should worry about the most, but if you want talent you have to give talent. Again, Mateo is more expendable than you think. Gleyber Torres is the future of the Yanks and him and Didi will be a force in 2018. And again, there are still 2 other prospects (Tyler Wade and Miguel Andujar) who are top 10 prospects at the ol’ farm. Young farm pitching is also deep for NYY, so even though Chance Adams is a great young pitcher, he’s 1) not a lefty, and 2) one of nine pitchers in their top 20 prospects. In my mind, sending Adams is worth the immediate results deGrom will add. Finally, the Yankees will send $4 mill to the Mets… ill get into that later.

As for the Metropolitans. In the big blue and orange eyes of Sandy Alderson he is able to complete this trade because he knows that even though fans will freak out, the right move to make is one that helps next year’s squad. Watching deGrom become the pitcher he is today has been a thrill. But right now is a great time to sell him. He is doing great, and people forget he is already in his age 29 season even though he has only played 3 year in the bigs. The longer the Mets wait to trade him the more value will plummet because his time spent with another team decreases. Plus, when healthy the Mets staff is the one rotation in the majors who could handle losing their number 2 starter, especially when receiving Adams. Getting rid of Duda should be EASY. He is a free agent at the end of the season and at this point nothing he does in a Mets uniform will ever be remembered or meaningful.

But think about what you are receiving Mets fans… Starlin could be a great middle infield partner for Neil Walker in 2018 if Walker is resigned. If not, Starlin can fit right in at second. Then, in 2019 how about sliding Castro to 3rd, moving T.J. Rivera to first, and having Mateo and current Mets prospect Amed Rosario mature at short and second together. That is an infield which certainly will produce better defensive and offensive numbers than the little league infield they are running out there currently. So that is my pitch for how Mateo and Castro will play out and impact you. Defensive improvement, offensive improvement. Castro immediately and Mateo in 2018. No doubt about it. Adams is the player who can get to deGrom’s current level by 2019. He’s got the stuff to have a ceiling of potential that is deGrom-esque. Syndergaard, Matz, Wheeler, Adams, and Lugo/Montero/Pill… sounds pretty sick right? Finally, that 4 million dollars. What could that possibly be for? To buyout the club option the team has on Jose Reyes so they never have to see his face again. The man can’t field, is a cancer in the clubhouse, makes way too much money, and is just clogging up the roster. Also, he has hit .333 in July… and still is hitting .229 on the season in 332 at bats. The buyout is $4 million on Reyes and If the Yanks cover at least $2 mill I would accept the offer.

So that’s it… Like I said, tell me how you feel about it. Are Yankee fans willing to give up good players at positions they are deep at to gain 2 guys who can not only get you to the playoffs, but help make a run in the playoffs? Are Mets fans willing to admit this year just isn’t their year, but actually put themselves back on the map for maybe 2018 but certainly 2019? Like I started this article with… there a 99% chance this trade won’t be a thought in Brian Cashman nor Sandy Alderson’s minds, but it would be pretty cool if it did.

Despite my excitement for the upcoming Cowboys season, and the fact that most people are still picking them to be a playoff team once again, this offseason has been nothing short of incredibly annoying. When off the field issues become a distraction, it’s going to be a big story for any team, but especially when its a team as popular as the Dallas Cowboys. Between the suspensions on the defensive side of the ball, the potential Ezekiel Elliott suspension, and all the questions about his off the field actions that have come out, everything has been very distracting and very annoying to a football team that does not want to talk about this, but it is all the media wants to talk about. The Lucky Whitehead situation is the latest event to occur. Here is a timeline of the events that have taken place for Whitehead and the Cowboys since June 22.

June 22, 1:30 AM: “Lucky Whitehead” is arrested for shoplifting in Prince William County, Virginia

Prince William County Police drop all charges against Lucky Whitehead after realizing this was a case of a mistaken identity. However, the Cowboys maintain their decision to release him.

This situation is extremely unfortunate for the Prince William County Police, the Cowboys, and Lucky Whitehead himself. I’m going to look at the support and blame that all three sides can be given for this timeline of events.

Prince William County, Virginia Police Department

Support- This was completely a case of a mistaken identity, and it just by their bad luck happened to be someone who has somewhat of fame. “Lucky Whitehead” did not have identification, but provided the name (Rodney Darnell Whitehead Jr.), date of birth (June 2, 1992), and, somehow, Social Security number (432-17- just kidding, we’re not allowed to know that, and situations like these are why no one can know your number) as Lucky Whitehead of the Cowboys.

Blame- The mistake of the justice system cost this man his job, and that is NOT okay. If someone does not have ID on them, police need to go through all measures possible to confirm someone’s identity. It also sounds like the Prince William Police Department is among those protesting the name of the R-Words and not watching their games, as you’d think maybe someone would realize who Lucky Whitehead was considering they’ve played him 4 times in his two seasons as a Cowboy.

The Dallas Cowboys

Support- The Cowboys released Whitehead after the news came out that he was arrested and also that he failed to appear in court. The Cowboys have already come under scrutiny for the amount of players facing discipline or being questioned for incidents, and didn’t need another distraction like this. Whitehead has been a decent kick returner and special teams player since replacing Dwayne Harris in 2015, but a big point that no one is talking about is that Whitehead was probably not going to make the team anyway this season. Whitehead hasn’t done much damage at his listed position of Wide Receiver, and the Cowboys drafted Ryan Switzer out of North Carolina (who has reportedly impressed so far), so Whitehead’s status on the Cowboys roster was anything but definite anyway. It should also be noted that last season, Whitehead was late to a Saturday walk-through, and Jason Garrett told him not to get on the flight to New York to play the Giants. Whitehead was also involved in a car accident last season, and Garrett heard first from the media, not Lucky himself.

Blame-

Lucky Whitehead said no one in Cowboys management had his back prior to his release from the team.

This is where the Cowboys were wrong. While scenarios where players say they did nothing wrong is usually just them trying to save their asses, the Cowboys should have waited at least until the next day to gather up more facts before releasing Whitehead, especially since the truth was revealed the next morning. Like I mentioned, Whitehead is expendable, so I doubt Jason Garrett will be losing any sleep over this decision, but this is still a bad look for the Cowboys, even though they were just reacting the way that would be right in 99 out of 100 similar scenarios. They release a player who has played two seasons for them based on false information. While he was probably going to get cut in training camp anyway, Lucky Whitehead has earned every right to compete for a spot on the Cowboys roster.

Lucky Whitehead

Support- The same reason I blame the Cowboys. Lucky Whitehead had every right to compete for his roster spot, and was completely screwed over by this false arrest and the Cowboys quick decision to part ways with him. He has every right to be upset that the Cowboys did not support or believe him when he literally did nothing wrong. It’s not like he was a witness or someone and was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was not there and did absolutely nothing wrong.

Blame- Obviously, he has no reason to be blamed for the situation that has unfolded. Like I noted earlier though, he was probably going to get cut anyway, so the Cowboys saw no hesitation based on his on the field performance and off the field actions of last year.

My final verdict is that Lucky Whitehead should not have been cut by the Cowboys. The Cowboys look bad here, but fans and the media need to understand that he was not likely to be on this roster come Week 1 anyway. Hopefully this will blow over soon and not be a distraction to this team. It was clear today that Jason Garrett was not bothered by this team parting ways with Whitehead and wants to move on from losing an expendable player as quickly as possible.

While losing Whitehead means almost nothing to the Cowboys on the field, I’ll admit that I’m sad to see him go because he’s a player I liked and was clearly among the more popular players in the locker room.

I am a huge Mets fan, but I get annoyed any time I hear someone complain about the Mets’ “bad luck” this season. Bad luck is the Raiders being Super Bowl contenders, only to have Derek Carr get hurt and wreck any chances of a playoff run. Bad luck is the Indians having the chance to erase the second-longest active World-Series-Championship drought, only to have the Cubs, they of the longest drought, show up on the other side and steal not only America’s hearts but also a lot of the World Series tickets for the games played in Cleveland. Bad luck is NOT the Mets having an extremely disappointing 2017.

You see, “bad luck” implies that forces out of your control have conspired to give you bad results. On the other hand, the Mets had the ability to control their results this past offseason, and the team chose not to do so. While many baseball writers tried this offseason to sell us on the Mets’ vaunted 2017 pitching rotation, I saw great reason for concern. I know you might think I am Captain Hindsight, but I swear I would have voiced my concern on this blog if it had existed in November.

The prevailing belief around baseball was that the Mets’ pitching staff would be: Syndergaard, deGrom, Harvey, Matz, Wheeler. Yes, the big five young starters were finally supposed to be healthy at the same time. Meanwhile, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman would be waiting in the bullpen or in the minors. However, as soon as last season ended, I assumed a few differences from this prevailing thought:

I believed that the Mets could rely neither on neither Harvey nor Wheeler entering 2017. Let’s remember that Matt Harvey did not enter this season off a 2.71-ERA, 1.02- WHIP season capped off by an excellent playoff performance with a 3.04 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Those numbers come from his 2015 season. Instead, he entered 2017 off a 4.86-ERA, 1.47-WHIP season that ended on the Fourth of July. Of course, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome officially ended his season. What we did not know was whether his disappointing 2016 had happened because of the syndrome or because of things unrelated to the syndrome. Frankly, it does not matter which one was the case. Either way, Matt Harvey was set to enter 2017 off a season in which he would have soon, if not for going on the DL, been removed from the rotation. He was also entering the season having experienced both the serious TOC and Tommy John Surgery in a 3-year span. Meanwhile, Zach Wheeler had missed both 2015 AND 2016 with Tommy John Surgery and other complications with his elbow. While many pitchers bounce back well from Tommy John Surgery, it is a different proposition after missing TWO full years and having complications with the elbow. Plus, even people who miss only one year with Tommy John tend to bounce back better the second year after the surgery. As a result of all this, I felt that anything Harvey or Wheeler would provide in 2017 would be a bonus.

I did not think Lugo nor Gsellman had pitched to a large enough sample size in 2016 to be considered locks in 2017. Gsellman made 7 starts at the end of the year, and 5 were against the putrid Braves and Phillies. Therefore, I did not think the Mets could count on Gsellman against a full slate of MLB teams, good and bad teams alike. Meanwhile, Lugo gave me a bit more confidence, because he had 8 starts with only 4 coming against teams playing out the string (Atlanta, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Miami). Plus, he had many solid relief outings before entering the rotation. However, the sample size was still too small to let me consider him a lock to stay as a staple in the Major League rotation. Long story short, I felt that it was reasonable to expect 1 of the 2 pitchers mentioned here to repeat their success this year. Expecting both to repeat it would have been pushing it.

The Mets could not count on Steven Matz, because he always gets hurt. In 2015, he made only 6 starts after debuting in the majors on June 28. In 2016, he made only 22 starts before injury forced him to be shut down in mid-August.

Summing up, I entered last offseason looking at a Mets team that had only two starting pitchers on whom they could rely – deGrom and Syndergaard. There were so many question marks with the rotation that I had to have faith that deGrom would bounce back from his September season-ending elbow surgery. Therefore, I figured the Mets would have those two pitchers and either Lugo or Gsellman. That theoretically left two open spots in the rotation. For those two spots, I wanted the Mets to re-sign Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey. While I can understand the Mets not wanting to spend $12 million for Colon (They are fortunate the Braves gave him this deal, considering Colon’s awful 2017 performance), Dickey signed for much less money. If the Mets were shrewd, they would have looked to sign Dickey and to sign or trade for another veteran starter. This would have allowed the Mets to let Harvey and Wheeler start Spring Training late, with the plan for them to come up to the Majors in May/June, when the weather was warmer. This would have also served to limit these two pitchers’ innings. Plus, if Matz were to be healthy this year, Lugo and Gsellman could have gone to the bullpen, which would have bolstered the pen.

As you probably know, the Mets did not bring in any support for their starting rotation. As expected, Steven Matz got hurt before the season began and did not start until June. It cannot be considered “bad luck” for the Mets when a guy who always gets hurt gets hurt. The Mets could have planned for that in the offseason by bringing in a veteran arm, but the team chose not to do it. Even worse, Syndergaard has not pitched since April 30, because of a lat injury. That is not “bad luck” either though, because this is a guy who added 17 pounds of muscle without throwing at all this offseason. While I try to give the Mets the benefit of the doubt with injuries more often than most Mets fans do, I cannot do it here. I am not a doctor, but I know that, if you add that much muscle and already throw 100 miles per hour, your body will need to practice throwing with the added muscle. Therefore, Syndergaard hurt himself by being stupid, and the Mets are at fault for not having enough control over their pitcher’s workouts. As for Seth Lugo; sure his getting hurt in the stupid World Baseball Classic was bad luck, but that is the only piece of this puzzle that I consider “bad luck”. Plus, that “bad luck” is offset by the fact that Harvey and Wheeler have pitched more innings this year than I ever would have expected. Granted, that has not been a good thing. Harvey has pitched to a 5.25 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, while Wheeler has pitched to a 5.21 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. Both pitchers are now on the “DL” with euphemisms for “These guys have been terrible enough that we are going to say it is because of injury, even if we are not sure that it is really the reason.” Hey, that injury befalls many greats. Both Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana spent time on the Mets’ DL with that injury. Nevertheless, I would say that those performances by Wheeler and Harvey justify my offseason beliefs not to count on these two.

The Mets have also had other injury-prone players get hurt. Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker have both spent plenty of this year on the DL. The Mets made the choice to bring back those players this year, even though the team knew of the injury risks. I agreed with those re-signings, but you know you are rolling the dice with injuries with those two. It is not bad luck when they get hurt. Meanwhile, Asdrubal Cabrera, Lucas Duda, and Travis d’Arnaud are other injury-prone players who have spent time on the DL, but the Mets did not greatly miss any of them when they were absent. The one injury – other than Lugo’s – that can be attributed to “bad luck” is that of Jeurys Familia, but I will explain shortly why his injury is not enough to claim the Mets’ season has been sabotaged by bad luck.

Bad defense and a subpar bullpen have hurt the Mets this year, but those finish a distant second in blame to the team’s starting rotation. The Mets have had a bad season because they entered the season with a deeply flawed rotation and chose not to improve it. In the first 97 games, the Mets have had an astounding 27 games in which the starting pitcher allowed as many or more runs as innings pitched. The Mets have won only 4 of those games, which is honestly more than I would have expected. Anyway, that 27 of 97 games is approximately 28% of the team’s games. Teams are not supposed to win games when their pitchers pitch that atrociously. When that happens roughly 3 out of every 10 games, your team is going to be terrible. Suddenly, there is a lot of pressure to win the other 7 out of 10 games, and the bullpen also takes a beating when starters exit early. If you are wondering about who are the culprits for this atrocious pitching, here you go:

Gsellman (6 times)

4 IP, 6 runs, 5 ER

5 IP, 5 ER

4 IP, 6 runs, 5 ER

5 IP, 7 ER

4.1 IP, 8 runs, 7 ER

3 IP, 3 ER

Harvey (5 times)

4.1 IP, 6 ER

5.1 IP, 6 ER

5 IP, 5 ER

5 IP, 6 ER

4 IP, 4 ER

Wheeler (4 times)

4 IP, 5 ER

1.2 IP, 8 ER

2 IP, 7 ER

5 IP, 5 ER

deGrom (2 times)

4 IP, 7 ER

4 IP, 8 ER

Matz (2 times)

4.1 IP, 5 ER

1 IP, 7 ER

Rafael Montero (2 times)

3.2 IP, 5 ER

3 IP, 3 ER

Tyler Pill (2 times)

5 IP, 5 runs, 3 ER

6 IP, 6 runs, 5 ER

Lugo (1 time)

5 IP, 6 ER

Tommy Milone (1 time)

1.1 IP, 8 runs, 7 ER

Syndergaard (1 time)

IP, 5 ER

Adam Wilk (1 time)

3.2 IP, 6 runs, 5 ER

That is quite a hideous list. Robert Gsellman seems like a nice guy, but he did prove, before getting hurt, that last year was an aberration. His 6.16 ERA and 1.62 WHIP were very responsible for his “injury”. I believe he now has the same “injury” as Wheeler and Harvey. Now, I cannot promise that R.A. Dickey would have dominated as a Met this year, but a combination of R.A. and any other journeyman veteran could have been an upgrade over these awful performances. If these two guys pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 earned runs every start, at least the Mets would have a chance to win every time out – unlike with the brutal list you just read.

Yes, the starting rotation has been a disaster. However, many people are quick to blame the Mets’ bullpen for this bad season, and the pen has been disappointing. However, this does not change the fact that the starting rotation has been awful and is still the main culprit for the awful season. I looked through the game results and found that 14 of the 97 games have seen the bullpen sink the Mets. When I say “sink the Mets”, I refer to games where the pen either blew a lead while pitching few innings, lost a game while pitching few innings, took the Mets out a game that they were losing slightly, or turned a sure victory into a nailbiter of a win. If you want to see my full list, please contact me. I figured I did not need to put this full list in the post. I will note that I did not count games where the bullpen pitched, for example, 5 innings and let up only 1 or 2 runs, even if those runs include the winning run. I also did not include games when the Mets’ starter left early to a large deficit, only to have the mop-up relievers pitch equally badly. Those losses are on the starters, not the Neil Ramirez types who are merely eating innings in lost causes. Knee-jerk reactions blame the bullpen for cases like these last two, but the stat lines indict the offense and/or the starting pitching, not the pen.

Earlier, I mentioned Jeurys Familia and said I would return to him now. His injury could be considered “bad luck”, but the fact that his replacement as closer, Addison Reed, is 17/19 in save opportunities and has a 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP show that the Mets are doing just fine in the closer department. The lack of Familia haunts the Mets more in the sense that they now have two reliable relievers (Reed and Jerry Blevins) instead of three. Therefore, the whole pen is weaker. I do not deny this fact. However, I feel that the biggest problem for the pen has been that starting pitchers have pitched only 541.1 innings, the 22nd-highest total in the league. The more innings a bullpen must pitch, the worse the relievers usually do. For example, Fernando Salas has generally been a disappointment this year, but it sure did not help that he pitched in 8 of the first 12 games of the season (although Terry Collins really did not need to use him in some of those 8).

It is actually comical when fans across the league complain about their team’s bullpens. Almost every fanbase thinks the team’s bullpen stinks, and it is supposed to be that way! Typically, a team’s best seven pitchers are the five starters, the closer, and the set-up man. Therefore, the other five pitchers in the pen are the 8th-through-12th-best pitchers on the team. How many teams really have at least 8 good pitchers? Most teams would die to have Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman in their bullpens, but Yankees fans have hated their bullpen for much of this year! At the trade deadline, every team’s weakness and need are “middle relief”. Generally, the key to a good bullpen is not having to use it. In 2015, the Mets survived much of the season with a relatively bad bullpen before acquiring Tyler Clippard and Addison Reed later in the year. (Yes, Clippard was actually good in that regular season.) The Mets a subpar pen because they avoided the atrocious starts that this year have forced the team to use the pen so early and often.

Speaking of 2015, most people think the keys to that year were Cespedes, Harvey, Syndergaard, deGrom, and Murphy. I cannot disagree there. However, there were two unsung heroes. Bartolo Colon made 31 starts, and Jonathon Niese made 29 starts that year. These two pitchers were not great, but they gave the Mets a chance to win nearly every time out and typically gave the team six or so solid innings. That allowed the Mets to get by while managing Harvey’s innings, Matz’s injuries, and waiting until May to recall Syndergaard. If only the Mets had brought in a few veteran starters this year, perhaps we could have been spared a good chunk of the 20 horrible starts (listed above) by Gsellman, Pill, Wilk, Milone, Montero, Harvey, and Wheeler.

“Bad luck” is out of one’s control. The Mets are having a bad year because of actions they made and did not make, not because of bad luck.

Your top notch analysts have come together for the first ever “Mayor Duck Special” podcast to discuss the winner of each division for the 2017 NFL season. Matt Faussette, Brandon Bochman and myself decided who we were giving the crown to and why. Listen in!

GO VINNAY! GO VINNAY! When you heard “get crazy, get wild,” you knew you were in for an amazing hour of watching eight people make way too poor of decisions for their age, and you were gonna love every second of it. The only thing that got me through having mono over winter break was re-watching the entire show. I actually think the show is mostly responsible for my recovery, can’t confirm or deny.

After cast members teased a reunion on Twitter last week, it’s finally been confirmed. I don’t wanna get my hopes up because realistically, it’s not gonna be anything like the show. It’ll probably be the old cast catching up and talking about memories of the show. That’ll still be really cool to watch, but can’t we get them to do a real reunion? One more night out at Karma? Ronnie making another batch of his famous Ron-Ron juice, him and Sam breaking up and getting back together again 6 times before they even get to the club, Pauly yelling “Ubahs ah heeeeeya!” because it’s 2017 and no one takes cabs anymore? That wouldn’t make for good television. That would make for ALL-TIME GREAT television. I’m not trying to tell the people over at MTV to do their jobs, except I am, and this is what you should do. I don’t care how old they are or how long it’s been since the last episode, get these eight people drunk together and the result is guaranteed television magic. Hell, have Angelina unexpectedly show up and see how that turns out. The possibilities are literally endless.

So please, MTV, give us one more hour of these lovable people fist-pumping, binge drinking and name-calling. It’s not what America wants; it’s what America needs.

After finishing 11-5 and clinching a playoff berth in the 2016 NFL season, the New York Giants finally became relevant again for the first time since Super Bowl XLVI. Although the team only lost one defensive starter (Jonathan Hankins) and added offensive firepower in Evan Engram and Brandon Marshall, New York will have to be at their best in order to compile another winning season.

The Divisional Matchups

The Giants finished 4-2 within the division last year, and only lost by a combined seven points to the Redskins at home and the Eagles on the road. They also swept the No. 1 seed in the NFC if I remember. Crazy to say, but Philadelphia made some great moves this off-season with the signings of Alshon Jeffery and LeGarrette Blount. Paired up with a great offensive-line and a productive front seven, Philly can cause some havoc for the Giants on both sides of the ball. The Redskins are a little less worrying since there are questions on defense and within the management of that organization. Anything could happen between Dallas and New York, but the Giants defense matches up very well against Dak and company. The Cowboys revenge (in the words of Ringo Starr) won’t come easy.

On the Road Again

This is where the going gets tough and the tough gets going. New York has to travel to Oakland, Tampa Bay, Denver, Arizona and San Francisco. It’s important to note that NONE of those games follow each other. That’s right. The G-Men have to fly back to East Rutherford, N.J. after each of those games. The Buccaneers and Broncos games are the only matchups that occur before their Bye Week (Week 8). Head Coach Ben McAdoo will have to carefully plan out time management on these long and frequent trips, along with finding his guys some time to rest.

Last time New York played the Bucs, Odell thought Connor McGregor was lining up across from him.

Not much needs to be said about Oakland. With a healthy Derek Carr and Khalil Mack manning the line of scrimmage, this might end up being the most difficult game of the season for the Giants. Denver still has a majority of their Super Bowl Champion defensive roster under contract. Von Miller could disrupt a game for any offensive lineman, let alone going up against Bobby Hart, Ereck Flowers or even D.J. Fluker. The Cardinals were a shell of their 2015 team last season, but the squad finished as the No. 2 ranked defense and the No. 9 ranked offense in the league, according to ESPN.com. The Buccaneers also have some great potential on offense and began to make some strides last season as a team. Desean Jackson finds a way to play against the Giants even when he leaves the division. The 49ers don’t appear to be too threatening, but you’d imagine they’ll be better than 2-14 under Kyle Shanahan and an upgraded defense.

Another cause for concern is the Giants’ play in road games last season. Besides Week 1 in Dallas (which is hardly a road game) and Week 17 in Washington, the Giants didn’t have a road win of much significance. They had flat performances against the Vikings, the Steelers, the Packers on two occasions, and even the Eagles in Week 16. This road stretch is more crucial than it appears.

Mistake to even target Larry Donnell.

The Safe Haven Games

Although New York faces some uncertainty on the road, they have a few home games that can easily tilt in their favor. Games against the Lions, Chargers, Rams and Chiefs are totally winnable and can all be controlled by Big Blue’s defensive front and secondary. The Giants beat the Lions and Rams last season, each game being dominated by Steve Spagnuolo’s bunch. Los Angeles and Kansas City won’t be easy wins, but home-field advantage can really make a difference against teams with sub-par offensive lines. The only real challenging non-divisional home game would be the Seattle Seahawks. The LOB is still alive and well and Russel Wilson’s scrambling could cause some fits. Beckham vs. Sherman Part 2 should be exciting.

That’s Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith in their prime looking like they just put on pads for the first time.

So yes, the Giants do have a tough schedule, but when you’re a good team you have to beat, well, good teams. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. If they get into the postseason, they can easily become a Super Bowl contender with their dominance on defense and lightning receiving core. But first thing’s first, they must survive the 2017 regular season.